It is well established that there are a number of drawer latches which have been established in the art previously. In the instant situation, the latch is particularly directed towards tool cabinets Such tool cabinets are known as mechanics' tool cabinets and typically have telescopic slides for the drawers with a cabinet formulated out of, for example, sheet metal. These cabinets often include a lock mechanism to prevent unauthorized access to the cabinet. In recent years the cabinets have become even more elaborate with the addition of lighting, power bars and other accessories.
In terms of the latch systems that have been set forth for such cabinets, in United States re issued U.S. Pat. No. RE 40,267, reissued Apr. 29, 2008, Mehmen discloses a drawer latch. The disclosure indicates that the drawer latch includes a lock mechanism where the arrangement includes a pivotal handle bar at the top edge of a cabinet drawer front wall. The handle provides catches biased engaging with a strike extending from the slides of the drawers mounted on the inside of the cabinet. Rotation of the handle moves the handle and therefore the catches out of engagement with the strike enabling the cabinet drawer to be opened. Although this is a useful arrangement, the drawer catches are positioned within the interior volume of the drawer which, can lead to breakage of the catch or bending of the catch which would therefore render the drawer inoperative.
Further, in United States patent application publication number US 2009/0250944, published Oct. 8, 2009, Scheffy et al teach a full width overlaid drawer latch. In the embodiment as shown, the drawer latch provides an overlay where the catch is positioned on opposed sides of the drawer handle. The catch engages a latch receiver in the frame of the cabinet. The latch receivers are vertically oriented.
The system is effective, however, it is somewhat limited in that in the event that the drawer handle becomes damaged or, for that matter, the catch itself becomes damaged, the entire drawer handle would have to be replaced, thus presenting an expensive proposition.
In U.S. Pat. No. 7,121,638, issued to Eggert et al, Oct. 17, 2006, there is disclosed a drawer latch suitable for use in the cabinets discussed hereinabove. The arrangement provides a drawer pull having a latch that is slideably positioned under the drawer for longitudinal sliding between the latching and unlatching positions. The document indicates that a latch is integrally positioned on one end of the latch and has a latch surface. A protrusion surface is coupled to the cabinet and exposed such that it is in an abutting relation with the latch when the drawer is in the closed position and the latch is in latching position. The non-abutting relationship occurs when the latch is in the unlatching position. The spring is also provided on the latch for biasing purposes.
In the analysis of the structure, it is evident that it is fairly involved from a mechanical point of view which results in a greater number of parts and thus enhanced manufacturing costs.
Dubé at al in, U.S. Pat. No. 6,851,286, issued Feb. 8, 2005 teaches a frontal latch handle assembly. The arrangement includes a block mounted on the front panel of the drawer and a latch movable with respect to block between the locking position and a unlocking position. A mechanism is provided which is responsive to the movement of the handle and particularly for moving the latch member between the lock and unlocked positions.
There are variations on the lockable drawer system included that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,681,381, issued to Sevey, Jul. 21, 1987, U.S. Pat. No. 5,435,640, issued Jul. 25, 1995, to Holcomb, U.S. Pat. No. 5,630,630, issued to Price et al, May 20, 1997, U.S. Pat. No. 5,775,140, issued to Hallsten, Jul. 7, 1998 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,785,398, issued Jul. 28, 1998, to Park.
Despite the fact that there is a plethora of drawer latch systems and their related components, it would appear that the art has not recognized a straight forward mechanical system which provides a separate latch component which is mechanically connected, but separate to the drawer pull and positioned such that the movable components are behind a front wall of the drawer thus affording protection against inadvertent damage. The present invention has addressed this need with the mechanical arrangement set forth herein.